"The Chief Minister and Minister for Home Affairs have emerged from this saga with no disciplinary case, no Chief Officer, a pending report from a QC likely to be critical of the Island’s Government, and a bill for over a million pounds. They are not well placed to criticise the actions of others" Deputy Bob Hill.............................................
Trevor Pitmans Blog.......................................BALDTRUTH"

Friday, July 1, 2011

HOLLYWOOD HARPER??? BDO Alto .15

For the first time since leaving the former SIO of Operation Rectangle will be able to give evidence and have a right of reply. Should be the norm in any shining beacon of democracy.

1st July 2011

Education and Home Affairs Sub Panel

Review issues surrounding the BDO Alto report on Financial

Management of Operation Rectangle

The Education and Home Affairs Panel Sub Panel will hold its first public hearing for this review with the former Senior Investigating Officer, Mr. Leonard Harper, on Monday 4th July commencing at 11am in the HV Benest Room, Morier House.

The hearing will talk place through a conference call link.

Mr. Harper has provided a written submission to the Sub Panel which is available on the Scrutiny website at HYPERLINK "http://www.scrutiny.gov.je/submissions.asp?reviewid=194" http://www.scrutiny.gov.je/submissions.asp?reviewid=194

Further hearings will be held on Friday 15th July. Details of witnesses will be announced in due course

Ends

Notes to editors:

The following terms of reference have been agreed for this review

To examine the instructions under which BDO Alto was engaged to review the financial management of Operation Rectangle and their methods for gathering evidence for this review;

To clarify the connection between the BDO Alto review and the review on the same matter separately commissioned by the Acting Chief Officer of Police;

To identify the reasons why the Senior Investigating Officer for Operation Rectangle was not interviewed by BDO Alto and was not given the opportunity to respond to the report’s findings;

To clarify the liaison between BDO Alto and the Wiltshire Police, in particular the references in the BDO Alto report to the Senior Investigating Officer’s statements to Wiltshire Police;

To investigate how details of the review into the financial management of Operation Rectangle came to be published in a national newspaper in October 2009; and

To consider the implications of the Sub Panel’s findings.

The BDO Alto report is available on the States website HYPERLINK "http://www.gov.je/Government/Departments/HomeAffairs/Pages/Reports.aspx?ReportYear=2010" http://www.gov.je/Government/Departments/HomeAffairs/Pages/Reports.aspx?ReportYear=2010

29 comments:

I wonder if CTV have been refused permission to film the hearing? They won an award off the back of these reports, and like Wiltshire and BDO CTV didn't ask Mr. Harper a single question!

It could be argued that CTV are conflicted as there were numerous complaints against them for receiving this award and they could be accused of bias reporting in order to justify, and keep, their award.

I understand reasons for the review to be tightly focused. I really do. It might supply answers.

However, Senator Ferguson's wording reads like a reassurance to the establishment that in no way would there be any examination of any underlying cover-up. Nor will they allow the obvious big picture be mentioned. This will be carefully focused on some technical answers to the specific concerned as detailed above, however embarrassing those answers might be, but it would not open the establishment up to the questions regarding "WHY" this insane BDO situation remains just a deliberate part of the strategic pattern.

Very good question, VFC. It would be ironic if CTV failed to disclose important new information, especially if it conflicted with what they won a prestigious award for.

By the way, CNN has kept their old Haut de la Garenne coverage archived and available online, except for the coconut story which disparaged the Operation Rectangle. Perhaps they discovered it was false or they heard fact-based complaints from viewers, or both.

The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee withdrew from the meeting as he expressed a conflict in the matter.

Senator Shenton withdrew himself as he is conflicted in this matter. What possible conflict did he have? Rico, surely he didn't excuse himself because his misses called lenny harper lenny henry. Does Shenton have connections with bdo?

Shenton could be in emotional "conflict" because if the panel exposed any truth they could all be associated with some damning exposure on Lenny Harper's behalf. He wouldn't want to be associated with the collapse of any cover-up spin strategies. It could ruin too many people who would then blame him for any role in that collapse.

The Establishment concern with BDO Alto should be that if they implement too many roadblocks against Scrutiny, they may only be exposed later in related inquiries or litigation involving Wiltshire and outside witnesses. Even lies they have clung to could be contradicted by emerging or future evidence, and they have finally lost some control of what they can keep the lid on. The establishment would be digging itself in deeper by blocking anything right now, and Shenton loses either way. He and his wife can only want distance from this.

Everyone with a lot to lose if there is real exposure has connections to BDO. That is a lot of people who would sacrifice any justice for any children who suffered abuse, and sacrifice any honest copper who was devoted to their protection from abuse. Greed versus good.

"Mr kellett has specifically provided input to this review utilising his own knowledge of the management of major police operations as well as police regulations , and has liaised between the SOJP and BDO throughout the course of this review. He has assisted BDO in identifying and commenting upon items of expenditure in specific areas and has held discussions with individuals from SOJP as well as third party contractors involved in this investigation"

Why didn't the police consultant called in by BDO speak with Lenny Harper? I hope we will find the answer on monday

"I know that there was some liaison between BDO Alto and the Wiltshire Police but I do not know what form that took. If the section from your statement which is contained in the BDO Alto report is also quoted in the Financial report then it is very likely that BDO Alto obtained access to the Wiltshire Report directly from the Wiltshire Police. I would be very surprised if the Wiltshire Police showed your statement to BDO Alto."

We now know that Wiltshire didn't supply BDO with Lenny Harpers statement, who did?

4. Questions to Ministers without notice - The Minister for Home Affairs

4.1 Deputy T.M. Pitman:

On a serious note, could I just apologise for my phone going off. My only defence is it was Jersey Hospice about my Mum’s health. My question for the Minister is will he clarify what was the conclusion of the brief investigation into who within the police force leaked the interim BDO-related report for U.K. child abuse to a journalist and has anyone been suspended as of yet?

Senator B.I. Le Marquand (The Minister for Home Affairs):

The most likely person who did this was the former senior investigating officer who took on the Historical Abuse Inquiry and who left in August 2009 with a very noisy - if I may put it that way - publicity in relation to his criticisms of his predecessors. The result of the inquiry, which was conducted by my staff in 2009, very clearly pointed in his direction.

I find this very interesting as ILM is saying that the inquiry was conducted by his staff but what of the brief police investigation? What were the results of that? And in an email to me ILM said that he has aked Bowron to look at it again

Is the Management of States of Jersey Police operations and regulations realistically comparable with UK forces?

Could Mr. Kellett, ''compare on a like for like basis?'

This is a very good point. I don't think I can answer this without a bit of research on it. I know this would have been a big issue concerning the Wiltshire Disciplinary Reports. If you check the Q&A with Graham Power that can be found on VFC the answers might be there

It is explained that if the Wiltshire Review had of made it to a disciplinary hearing then 800 years of Jersey "tradition" would have gone out the window. The Wiltshire Review was conducted on UK Guidelines and not Jersey guidelines.

It should become clear why this was never ever going to arrive at any disciplinary hearings. Wiltshire had missed 3 deadlines before the SG handed over operation blast to Warcup who then handed it to ILM in June 2009. This is a complete and utter sham no matter how you look at it.

12. NOW ILM NEEDS TO FIND SOME SERIOUS ANSWERS TO SOME VERY SERIOUS QUESTIONS

Tomorrow we can start unraveling this report and find out exactly what went on here. I still find it amazing that Wiltshire even quote this report in their own financial report. Didn't they know that Lenny Harper wasn't interviewed?

Rico, I have just seen this on the Pitman Blog. "Talking of 'credible' witnesses - it is deeply worrying to have to report it - but at least one Senator who sits (well, now and again before pushing off to his day job)in the States has recently let slip his true prejudices on such matters.

This being that someone who might happen to be a mere manual worker really is apparently not worthy of Scrutiny hearing or taking seriously for investigation of what he has to say! I'm sure this political waste of space (who I must apologise that I voted for in 2005 - never again!) might likely feel differently if the such people were millionaires?

Also, if it wasn't for manual workers there would be no books, because all the technology to make printed works was invented by manual workers. If there were no manual workers there would be no human race as everyone would have starved to death with the first human generation.

Isn't it ironic that manual workers are sometimes thought to be the people who get the real work done? In your case, it takes a manual worker to get the real investigative journalism done. Very nice work, too!